Finding Entei, Finding Secrets
by Maddiepink5
Summary: Kirari had a dream one night- if she finds Entei, she can heal her father. While trying to do so, she meets plenty of new Pokemon friends- and a cruel mean Trainer whose life would be easier if she released the secret she keeps hiding. Being ended early and restarted in my new story, Electric.
1. Setting Off

Setting Off

The young girl slung a white duffel bag over her shoulder. "Bye, Mrs. P!" she called back to her neighbor. "Take good care of Daddy for me!"

"Don't worry, Kirari, I will!" Kirari's neighbor called back with a laugh and a wave.

Smiling, Kirari swung her leg over her bike and looked around one last time. She didn't know when she'd be coming back here next, here to her hometown- New Bark Town. It was such a nice little town, so peaceful and quiet. There was always a gentle breeze that powered the windmills towering over the rooftops. To her right was the biggest building in town, the Pokemon Research Lab. Her brother and sister had gotten their starter Pokemon there, a Cyndaquil and a Chikorita, respectively. They had taken those starters to other regions, her brother to Hoenn and her sister to Sinnoh. Some other girl she didn't know had taken the last one, a Totodile. With no starters left, Kirari had taken the family Pokemon as her partner- a female Pachirisu named Sparkle. Everyone loved Sparkle, since Pachirisu were not native to Johto. Plus, she had this cute little habit of wriggling her nose and-

"Honey, you should get going!" Mrs. P called out nervously to Kirari again, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Thanks, Mrs. P! Bye!" Kirari yelled as she started to pedal. She made a mental note for any lonely nights. Cute little houses, dirt paths, the town almost entirely surrounded by trees. Except for where she was going- the opening of the trees led to the first trail of her adventure, Route 29.

Smiling to herself, Kirari pedaled right out of her hometown, vowing to herself that she would come back with a way to heal her father.

Unlike her vision, complete with background music, Kirari's entry into the route wasn't as epic as she had expected. There was a short path of trees before she would actually reach the real Route 1. She did what she always did when she was along lately- think about her dream, two weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, Kirari had had a dream that meeting Entei would give her the cure to her father's deathly illness.

Two weeks ago, her brother had dreamt the same thing only with Suicune, and her sister with Raikou. The two had immediately gotten starter Pokemon and headed off to various regions to find the legendary in their dream. Kirari, on the other hand, had stayed behind to make sure her father would be okay while she was gone. Due to her kindness in this regard, her father imparted a good bit of wisdom to her-

'The legendaries you three dreamt about are all native to Johto. No matter how eager your siblings were to leave, they'll never find them where they went. Keep here in Johto, and if you really are supposed to find Entei, you'll find it here.'

As the trees opening up onto Route 29, Kirari made a solemn vow that she would heal her father with Entei alongside her. With that, she got off her bike, folding it up and slipping it into her bag. There was a patch of grass right ahead of her, and it's hard to fight while on a bike, Kirari figured. _Just how do cyclists do it?_ she thought while shaking her head.

She walked to the edge of the grass and looked down at it excitedly. At any time in that thick stuff, a wild Pokemon could jump out at her. She was fully prepared though, with Potions and even a Full Heal from her neighbor. Then she stepped into the grass. Immediately she broke out in a grin.

The grass tickled her feet, and she loved it. She had insisted on going barefoot for the majority of the journey, just for that feeling of the grass on her skin. The sun was high in the sky above her, but a slight breeze kept her from getting hot. Birds chirped, and trees cast inviting shadows for a tired Trainer. Thick grass was everywhere, and there were little ledges to jump off if you wanted to.

"This is where it begins!" Kirari exclaimed excitedly to herself, and darted through the grass, laughing. For the first time she was free, free from constantly taking care of her father (even though she'd do anything for him), free from school, and most importantly, free from her mean siblings who picked on her because she was petite. She could feel a great adventure coming up.

Then there was a rustle in the grass. Kirari grinned and enlarged Sparkle's Pokeball.

Kirari didn't feel a great adventure coming up anymore.

She felt the adventure of a lifetime.


	2. Understanding Pokemon, Making Enemies!

Kirari continued to grin and clutch the Pokeball in her hand. She yelped, however, when the Pokemon in the grass- a Pidgey- not only showed itself but Tackled her to the ground. Pushing the Pidgey off, Kirari exclaimed, "Let's show 'em, Sparkle!" and let her Pachirisu out of its ball. Sparkle faced off against her opponent, electricity sparking from her cheeks.

Kirari was about to command Sparkle to use a move, before she realized she didn't know Sparkle's moves. Sparkle had never been used for battling, so she couldn't know many moves...while Kirari reached into her pack to pull out the guidebook given to her by the Professor, to see Sparkle's moves, she was oblivious to Sparkle getting a royal beating.

"Pachirisu's moveset is Growl, Bide, and Quick Attack," the book told Kirari. She closed it, then realized in horror that Sparkle was getting thrashed.

"Oh, Sparkle! Quick, use Bide!" Kirari commanded Sparkle.

Sparkle nodded and pulled her arms and legs in, launching into the move Bide, where the user endures a few attacks and then releases power. That is, if she wasn't going to be knocked out already- the Pidgey was hitting hard.

"Hang in there, Sparkle!" Kirari urged her partner. Motivated, Sparkle endured another attack with barely any health left, and then it came. In an explosion of energy, the Pidgey was knocked right out. Sparkle stood in front of it, panting.

Kirari felt exhilarated. Her first battle had been a success! "Alright! Yeah! You were awesome, Sparkle!" she cheered as the Pidgey barely stood up and scampered away. Kirari picked up Sparkle and squeezed her tightly- perhaps too tightly, as Sparkle was scared and electrocuted Kirari. Charred black, Kirari slowly set Sparkle down. "Yeah...sorry about that."

After using a Potion, Kirari returned Sparkle to her Pokeball and darted through the rest of the patch of grass. To her dismay, no more wild Pokemon appeared. She then came to an intersection where she could go forward or to her right. She found the there was a small tree blocking her path going forward, so she turned around and headed up the other way. Kirari headed through an arch of trees and past a gate entrance, but something told her to hold off on that for now. Another patch of grass was up ahead, and Kirari grinned. She was almost to the second town on her journey. But as she made her way into the grass, another Pokemon made its appearance- she recognized it as a Sentret.

"Alright, Sparkle, let's get a new teammate!" Kirari cheered, releasing Sparkle, eager to catch such a cute Pokemon. "Okay, now use Quick Attack!" Sparkle followed Kirari's command, but the Sentret dodged. Kirari was too busy digging through her bag to notice the miss. Pulling out an empty Pokeball, she tossed it at Sentret. "Go, Pokeball!" Kirari cheered. The Pokeball twitched once, and Kirari gasped as it popped out again, disappointed as Sentret made its getaway. Sparkle sadly perched on Kirari's shoulder. "It's okay, you did your best," Kirari comforted her companion. Without returning Sparkle to her Pokeball, they headed through the patch of grass.

"Hmm...we have a long time before we should stop for the night. What do you say we just train?" Kirari asked her partner. Sparkle cheered and her cheeks sparked again. So after a couple of hours of training, and Sparkle learning Charm, they stopped yet again in front of the sign at the end of the route.

"Hmm...Cherrygrove City is where we're headed," Kirari informed Sparkle with a smile. The teen marched into the city and looked around. "Wow! What a nice place!" Kirari exclaimed loudly, earning a few looks from passerby citizens. Blushing in embarrassment, she started to walk around, not really sure what she was supposed to do next. Suddenly, she felt something grab her arm. She screamed and turned around nervously, only to be greeted by the face of a friendly old man.

"Young girl, I can see you're lost. Might you need a tour of old Cherrygrove?" he asked kindly. Kirari smiled nervously.

"Y-yes, that would be nice, I am lost," Kirari replied, bowing in respect. "Thank you."

The old man laughed. "Not a problem. Now come with me," he replied, tugging Kirari over to a big building with a red roof. He could sure move fast for an old man. "Now this is a Pokemon Center," he told the fascinated girl. "Heal your Pokemon here." Pointing to a smaller building with a blue roof next to it, he said, "That's the Poke Mart. They sell traveling essentials." Before Kirari could reply, he dragged her off again, towards a path out of town. "This is the way to Route 30. You'll be going here next, I assume," he said with a grin. "Well, I never get to give anyone that tour anymore. Would you like some gifts?"

Kirari clapped her hands a bit. "Oh boy, thanks sir! That would be great!"

The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out an map. "Here's a map of Johto. So you don't get lost again," he said with a wink. Kirari blushed while the old man pulled out an earpiece of sorts. "I found this on my daily walk, with a note that said it would translate Pokemon speech. I don't know how to use this newfangled technology though, so you can have it."

Kirari could not believe her ears. "Understand Pokemon?" she exclaimed in bewilderment. Hastily, she turned on a switch on the earpiece and put it in her ear.

"So, does it work?" Kirari heard a voice on her shoulder say. Did she dare to look? Apparently she did, and doing so, she confirmed the source of the voice- Sparkle. Kirari was unable to speak for a few moments. Finally Sparkle broke the silence, saying dejectedly, "I guess not. It would've been so cool to talk to you, though."

"No, no! I can hear you loud and clear!" Kirari assured her Pokemon. The old man raised his eyebrows at the two. Sparkle twittered in excitement.

"No way! This is too cool! I always wanted to talk to humans!" Sparkle cheered. Kirari was already seeing a side to her friend that was limited before. Talking to her, she knew they would be able to bond better than normal now.

"Well, er, you all have fun now." The old man hobbled away towards his home. Kirari and Sparkle didn't notice.

"This is awesome, Sparkle!" Kirari informed her pal happily, who nodded in agreement. They became immersed in chatter about the magic earpiece, so distracted that Kirari walked right into someone. She quickly stood up and helped the person she knocked down, blushing deeply. "I-I'm so sorry, I should watch where I'm going, I was just having a conversation with Sparkle here," Kirari said hurriedly, embarrassed. The girl she knocked down was brushing herself off. She had stunning neon green hair, cut short, and a spaghetti-strap pink top. Her short sweatshorts, obviously for show and now for working out like sweatshorts are meant for, were the same color. The girl was about as old as she was, and her red eyes bore into Kirari, a smirk on her face.

"I was gonna tell you off, Clumsy, but did I just hear you say you were talking to your Pokemon?" she laughed, folding her arms. Kirari frowned.

"Yeah, I got this earpiece that lets me-" Kirari was cut off by the rude girl before she could explain.

"Listen, Psycho, as much as I'd like to know more about your fantasy that Pokemon talk, I need to find a competent battler. I need to earn money from battling. Too bad you're not a sane opponent."

Kirari clenched her fist. "Are you calling me crazy?" she yelled fiercely. The girl chuckled calmly, unfazed by Kirari's anger, only making Kirari more enraged. "I can totally beat you in a battle! 1-on-1, a hundred bucks to the winner?" Kirari had learned all about how to set up a battle from the tournaments on TV.

Still smirking, the girl pulled a Pokeball off her belt. "You're on, Psycho. Toto, battle time!" she exclaimed, releasing a Totodile from the ball.

"Alright Sparkle, let's show 'em!" Kirari chanted as Sparkle ran onto the field of space her and the girl had created between them.

"You got it, Kirari!" replied Sparkle confidently.

"Quick Attack, Sparkle!" Kirari commanded. The girl tried to shout a command, but Quick Attack hit, well, quickly. Totodile jumped right up, though. "Now use Water Gun!" Totodile shot a nice blast of water at Sparkle, knocking her off her feet.

"Oh, we're not gonna be stupid! Use Bide, Sparkle!" Kirari commanded. Sparkle curled up and began to store power. The girl smirked again.

"Bad move," she informed Kirari. "Use Leer, Toto!" she exclaimed. Totodile glared at Sparkle with a glint in its eye, spooking Sparkle but she still kept her position. "Again, Toto!" Totodile did the same, as Sparkle continued to store energy. Kirari was confused; Sparkle didn't appear to be taking any damage. What would happen if she had taken no damage and Bide ended? Sure enough, Sparkle's Bide ended but no energy was released. Bide doubled damage taken, and Sparkle hadn't taken any. "What does Leer do?" Kirari asked her opponent, nervous.

The girl snickered. "Lowers defense. So guess what happens when physical moves hit now?" she asked, not waiting for the answer. "Let me give you an example! Use Scratch, Toto!"

"Ack! Dodge, Sparkle!" Kirari cried out, but it was too late. Scratch hit head on, sending Sparkle flying. She soon fell back to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

"Ha, Psycho! I won, now be a good girl and fork over the money." Glumly, Kirari handed the girl a hundred dollars.

"Why are you so mean?" Kirari meekly asked the girl as they returned their Pokemon.

"Simple," the girl said with a smirk. "My name is Cream. You know what that means? It means I'm the cream of the crop. Which means I'm mean because..." Cream got right up in Kirari's face. "I CAN BE." Then Cream headed off towards Route 30.

"Aren't you going to heal Totodile?" Kirari called after her. She got no response. Kirari scrunched up her face in confusion; not even her siblings were so mean. There had to be a reason other than just because she could. Then Kirari remembered Sparkle, and rushed to the place the old man had pointed out as the Pokemon Center.

She found that the inside was much like a doctor's waiting room. The place was deserted, instead of being filled with sick people, though. There was a lady with pink hair and a nurse's outfit looking bored at the front desk. At the sight of Kirari, however, she perked right up. "Hello, Trainer! I'm Nurse Joy! Welcome to the Pokemon Center!" Kirari was happy for a friendly face after the rude encounter with Cream, and stepped up to counter.

"My Pachirisu Sparkle fought really hard and got knocked out. You can heal her here right?" Kirari asked Nurse Joy. The nurse grinned at Kirari's smiling face, and even though Kirari was already thirteen, it was still filled with innocence.

"Why of course, just leave her with us overnight and you'll be all set to go, in fact, you can also sleep here overnight," Nurse Joy told the girl as she took Sparkle's Pokeball.

Kirari beamed. "Really? I wish there were Pokemon Centers everywhere! They would be so helpful on my journey!" Nurse Joy laughed at the irony of the situation, while Kirari raised an eyebrow at her.

Finally Nurse Joy explained, "There ARE Pokemon Centers everywhere. And Nurse Joys at almost every one, all my sisters and cousins. Take a look." Joy pulled out a picture frame of twenty identical Nurse Joys, making Kirari scream.

"That's so cool it's kind of scary!" the teenager exclaimed as she studied the picture in wonder. After a few minutes she gave the picture back to Nurse Joy, giggling.

"Well, your room is just down the hall to the right," Nurse Joy told her, pointing. "Make yourself at home, and sleep well."

Kirari did just that, barely being able to put her pajamas on as the events of the day caught up with her. Fatigue overtook her, and she crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep.

**A/N: Finally! FF wouldn't let me upload for some time. Very irritating. Also, I really need reviews! I like to be corrected and stuff! It makes my writing better! Even though I don't know anybody who actually reads my stuff. I bet they would read it if it had non-OC characters. :(**


	3. A Boy and his Rattata

The next day Kirari rose bright and early, eating a hearty breakfast. The cafeteria served delicious food. She picked up Sparkle and bid goodye to Nurse Joy, then headed off towards Route 30.

"What a beautiful route!" the teen breathed to the Pachirisu, perched on Kirari's shoulder. Pachirisu chattered her agreement.

"Just like Route 29, without as many trees…lots of open space, for fun, fun, fun!"

Only a few steps afterwards, a figure appeared in the distance. A young blonde boy, about eleven years old, was running frantically towards where she was. A Rattata lay unconscious in his arms.

"Excuse me!" he exclaimed as her barreled towards her, but it was too late. The two collided and were knocked into the river, then were electrocuted by Sparkle.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he repeated, each time he bowed hastily. Kirari forced a grin as she pulled herself out of the water; at the very least, it was shadow and her earpiece was not damaged.

The older girl then smiled genuinely. "I understand; you're worried about your Pokemon. Come, we'll go to the Center together."

"Joey, eh? Nice name. I'm Twinkle, Kirari Twinkle."

The two shook hands and Kirari went right back to attempting to squeeze water out of her clothes. The sopping wet duo had had to wait for Joey's Rattata outside, being, well, wet. It was for the better in the end, the warm sun drying their clothes much more quickly.

"Thanks so much for helping me back there. I was just really worried about Scratcher."

Kirari responded with a grin. "I totally get it. Same situation with Sparkle yesterday. How did he get knocked out?"

"We were battling Donovan…"

"Hmm? Who's that?"

Joey was silent for a bit, until Kirari put her hand on his shoulder. "Go on," she said sincerely. "I'm all ears." 

The boy sighed and said, "Donovan is always really cruel to me. I mean, I know his parents died when he was young and all, but… that's no excuse. He always says my Pokemon are weak…I thought I had trained my Pokemon enough, but I didn't really get to dedicate enough time to either of them, and he has just a really strong Caterpie."

Kirari's heart broke. "That's so sad! Everyone's Pokemon are different. But don't feel bad, it's his fault not yours."

Joey just nodded, staring at the ground. Kirari decided that the best thing she could do would be to try and cheer Joey up.

"Joey, what exactly is your other Pokemon, then?"

Before the young boy could respond, however, Nurse Joy came out. "Rattata is all healed, Joey," she said kindly, handing Joey Scratcher's Poke Ball. The duo headed towards Route 30 after thanking the pink-haired nurse.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Kirari murmured. "I'm gonna train for a bit before I continue down the Route. All right?"

Joey looked at the ground, silent, then suddenly looked up. "I want to give you a gift! As thanks for helping me, and just being nice to me."

Kirari chuckled in embarrassment. "Oh, like you said, I was being nice. No need to give me a-" before Kirari could go on, however, Joey pressed a Poke Ball into her hand. "A….Pokemon?"

Joey nodded. "I think I want to just train with Scratcher for a while. You're really nice. His name is Kurayami, nicknamed Yami. I can tell you'll take good care of him." Kirari had no time to respond as Joey ran away, yelling his thanks and goodbyes.

The black-haired teen stared down at the Pokeball. "A Pokemon for a gift? Fine, let's see just what you are." And she released the Pokemon….

A/N: After being up for a long time, this chapter was entirely rewritten when I replaced its chapter with the updated chapter four by accident, after the file was on my old computer and the doc uploader file expired. Heh. I like this version better anyways. Please R & R!


	4. A Friend, A Pokedex, and Meeting Moltres

Kirari drew in a sharp breath as the Pokemon from the ball appeared in front of her. It was so adorable! It had brown fur, a bushy brown tail with a cream-colored tip, and a bushy cream collar. It had short little legs, dark brown eyes, and huge ears that somewhat resembled a rabbit's.

But what was it?

Kirari's eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she stared at the little guy. Then she slapped her forehead. Duh! She could just ask him!

"Hey there little guy!" Kirari greeted him.

The Pokemon grinned and raised a paw at Kirari. "Sup." He had a bit of a lower voice than Kirari had expected, and he didn't seem to be a playful little baby. Maybe he was close to evolving or something? Wait, did this guy evolve anyway?

"Well, I'm Kirari, and I'm your new Trainer. You're Kurayami, right? Yami, I mean?"

"That's me. What happened to Joey?" Clearly Yami wasn't all that concerned. Obviously a carefree type, calm. How would he do in a battle?

"He gave me you as a gift."

Yami blinked, as his eyes grew a bit wider. "You can understand me?"

"Yup. This lets me." Kirari tapped her earpiece.

"Cool."

Awkward silence...

"So, we ready to train, or what?"

Kirari nodded. "But first..." Kirari let Sparkle out of her ball. "Meet Sparkle, my partner."

Sparkle stared at the newcomer quietly for a second before squealing. She ran circles around Yami. "Oh hi, it's so so nice to meet you! I'm Sparkle the Pachirisu, what's your name? Oh Yami? I love that name it's so awesome! Great to have you on the team!" After Sparkle finally slowed, Yami looked a bit dazed, his head still slightly going in circles from trying to follow the hyper squirrel.

"Okay, guys," Kirari giggled. "Yami, exactly what kind of a Pokemon are you?"

Yami turned to her. "An Eevee," he said. "I can evolve into seven different forms."

Kirari nearly passed out. "Seven different forms? No way!" she exclaimed in disbelief. Yami just chuckled.

"I already know what I want to evolve into, though. An Umbreon. I have to have a friendship with my Trainer and evolve at night."

Kirari smiled genuinely. "Well, let me be the first to congratulate you on having a great goal! As your Trainer, I just want the best for you, so I'll help you all the way."

Yami smiled. "Wow, really? Joey wanted me to be a Jolteon. Maybe this won't be so bad after all." Yami jumped onto Kirari's shoulder. "Hey...can I call you Kira? It's easier to say."

"Wow, cute nickname! Of course!"

"Oh, me too me too me too!" Sparkle jumped onto Kirari's other shoulder, making Kirari grunt. "I'm gonna call you that too."

Kirari laughed at the two Pokemon. "Of course." They started to head down the Route.

There were a couple of patches of grass at first, which involved some training against wild Pokemon for Yami and some failed captures. Catching Pokemon just wasn't Kirari's strong spot. The two Pokemon comforted Kirari, or rather, Kira, as they sat down for lunch.

"Don't worry, Kira. We'll catch someone soon, and I'll help you," Yami promised his Trainer. He was already used to Kirari and it was as though he had known her for a long, long time, the way Sparkle did.

"Fanks, guys," Kirari said through a mouthful of sandwich. Suddenly, a young, eleven-year-old boy ran towards Kirari from up the route, and grinned proudly at her.

"I heard you helped that weakling Joey. I bet you're a weakling too, lady. Battle me!"

Kirari swallowed her mouthful and chuckled at the kid's prideful speech. "Alright, how about a deal," she said. "If I win, you stop bullying Joey and be friends with him instead."

The boy snickered. "And if you lose, like you will?"

"Then you get fifty bucks from me."

The boy's eyes lit up- it was a large sum to the kid. "Deal." They shook on it, and then spread to different ends of the open space.

"Two-on-two, no substitutions, first person to lose both their Pokemon win?" Kirari called. The boy shouted back his agreement, and then took a ball off his belt. Kirari prepared for a bug type- he had a bug catching net and similar gear.

"Go, Caterpie!" he called, sending out a Caterpie. It looked determined to serve its Trainer well.

"Alright then, Yami, let's show 'em!" Kirari exclaimed, and Yami, still sitting on Kirari's shoulder, jumped onto the battlefield, growling, as he understood the big stakes. The money meant nothing to Trainer nor Pokemon, but they did care about Joey.

"String Shot, Caterpie!"

"Too slow! Sand Attack, Yami!" The Eevee complied and kicked sand into Caterpie's face, and String Shot missed.

"Darn it! Tackle, Caterpie!"

"Again, Sand Attack!"

Both moves hit, Tackle being lucky for its contact. Yami quickly got back up, though.

"Okay, let's use Tackle, Yami!"

"You too, Caterpie!"

In the dust cloud Yami had kicked up, it was impossible to know which Tackle had hit when they heard the slamming. When it cleared, though, Yami was standing and Caterpie was not.

"Hooray hooray hooray hooray Yami!" Sparkle was chanting from Kirari's shoulder, Kirari cheering along.

"Alright, fine, but I still got one more Pokemon," the boy grumbled, returning Caterpie and taking a ball off his belt. "Go, Metapod!" A green bug Pokemon was sent out in a flash of light.

And then there was silence.

Kirari raised her eyebrows. "Can't it do anything?"

"...It can only use Harden." Silence followed. "Fine, I forfeit," he grumbled, returning Metapod while Kirari gave Yami a Potion and many congratulations. "Well, I'm a man of my word. I'll go say I'm sorry to Joey now..." The young man sheepishly ran away, Kirari and her companions laughing.

It was a couple hours more of trekking until they were at the end of Route 30, sun beginning to set. There was a small house there, and suddenly, an old man in a lab coat emerged and looked right at Kirari.

"Hello there, young Trainer!" he called, starting towards her. His voice was familiar somehow. Kirari waved as he approached. "What's your name?"

"K-kirari, sir," the teen mumbled. Respecting her elders was important to her, to the point that she was shy around ones she was not familiar with. The man laughed, and pulled up her chin to stop her from looking at the ground.

"Don't be shy. Kirari is a beautiful name. I'm Professor Oak," the Professor said sweetly.

All traces of shyness vanished as Kirari gasped. "THE Professor Oak? N-no way! I'm a big fan, I listen to you on the radio all the time!"

Oak laughed. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you on a journey?"

Kirari stuttered even more than she had before, now that she knew who she was speaking to. "Y-yes, P-professor Oak, s-sir," the Trainer managed to squeak out.

The Professor's eyes lit up. "Really? I haven't been able to find those actually traveling for a while. Would you like to do a favor for me?"

Kirari nearly passed out. "Oh dear Arceus...anything for you, Professor!" The old man chuckled.

"Here is a Pokedex. Any Pokemon you catch or encounter will be filled in on this ol' thing. No matter what you're journeying for, it'll happen automatically, plus it'll be a great reference. Will you do it?"

Kirari grabbed the small pink device eagerly. "Yes, yes, o-of course."

"Very well then. Here's a Pokegear. It has my number on it. We can keep in touch, since we'll have to be close in this project together," Oak said with a wink. Then he started south back towards Cherrygrove.

Kirari looked down at the two devices in her hand. She had just met THE Professor Oak, and gotten the rare Pokedex and a free Pokegear from him, WITH HIS NUMBER IN IT. And people were typically lucky just to catch a glimpse of him!

As Kirari realized this, she really did pass out.

Kirari looked around. After passing out after the encounter with Oak, she found herself in the dream world. It was a fiery volcano, but Kirari wasn't hot or even warm. This was the same place she had first encountered Entei. Kirari pretty much had no control of her body, and yet she did. It was weird- it was a dream. She knew where she wanted to go, but wasn't actually getting her body to go there. It was doing do on its own. Kirari was headed towards the heart of the volcano.

And there he was again. The majestic Entei stood there, in all his glory. This time, though, a fiery bird was flapping above him. Kirari had never seen such a thing before, but somehow she already knew it was the legendary firebird Moltres.

"This is Moltres," Entei told Kirari in its deep, majestic voice. "It has also chosen a vessel for its power, in the way I have chosen you. It chose who it did because that person had a great wish much like you do, to find their true family. Unlike you, however, they are not taking the ambition, because they have not admitted to this being their wish yet. The simple task I am asking of you is to be nice to everyone you meet, no matter how they treat you, and they may soften as well. You will not know who the vessel for Moltres is for a long time, so just do this and the vessel will be made apparent to you in due time."

Kirari nodded. "I don't completely understand, but I will be nice to everyone. I understand that much."

"Very well, then. It is time for you to wake up..."

"What?"

"Wake up, Kira, wake up...wake up..."

"WAKE UP, KIRA!"

Kirari shot into a sitting position, and looked around her. It wasn't much different than when Kirari had passed out, though it felt like hours to the young Trainer. Both of her Pokemon were in her lap, looking triumphant for waking her.

"You've only been out for a few minutes, in case you were wondering," Yami informed her.

"Yeah, like, what happened to you?" Sparkle twittered.

"It was nothing," Kirari replied, then changed the subject, "It's going to be night soon, and I'm tired. Let's get to the next town, only a couple minutes away." Without listening to Sparkle's continuous protests for wanting to know what had happened, Kirari headed off to the next town. It was a simple procedure after that- Kirari grabbed a quick dinner in the cafe, as delicious as the breakfast she had had that morning, dropped her Pokemon off for healing, and headed to the room she rented. Even though she had just been out for a bit, it had indeed been only a few minutes, and Kirari was able to fall right asleep with ease.


	5. Gym Leader Falkner And An Invasion!

Kirari nervously did her hair and even put on a bit of make-up, wrapped in a towel. After her clothes and pajamas came back, freshly washed, Kirari headed out with one Pokemon on each shoulder.

"You look nice today, Kira," Yami the Eevee said, sitting on Kirari's right shoulder.

"Thanks," the teen replied nervously. "I, uh..."

Sparkle the Pachirisu, on Kirari's right shoulder, asked, "What?"

"Well, I'm just kind of nervous about getting my first badge. And I want to look a little nice, anyway...I've heard the Gym Leader is kinda cute." Kirari giggled in embarrassment. Sparkle chattered in approval, while Yami groaned and rolled his eyes.

Sparkle told her Trainer, "Don't be ashamed. And more importantly, let's go show that cute boy your skill!" Cheered up by Sparkle, a smile appeared on Kirari's face and the nervousness was a bit lessened. Into the big Gym building they went.

The trio looked around, and said at the same time, "Wow." It was huge, with a twisting wood path all around the Gym and a glass path around the border. One could go through the wood path, which was considerably wider, but battle the two Trainers on it. On the other hand, they could go for luck and try to balance themselves on the small glass path without falling.

"I vote wood," Kirari announced, walking confidently up to the first Trainer. "You gonna battle me, tough boy?"

The blond boy across from Kirari, about two years her senior, grinned. "Pretty and spunky," he told her. "I like it. Go, Spearow!"

"Let's show em', Yami!" The brown Pokemon jumped off her shoulder and growled, going from looking laid-back to determined to snag a win for his Trainer.

"Let's use Growl, Spearow!"

"Tail Whip, Yami!"

Both moves were successful, lowering Yami's Attack but also lowering Spearow's defense- not much of an improvement.

The foe sighed. "Alright, Spearow, let's use Peck then!"

"Dodge and use Tackle!"

"Gah, you dodge too, Spearow!" Neither attack hit, but Yami was re-focused easily.

"Tackle again!" The Tackle was well-placed and hit Spearow smack in the head, knocking it out. The boy gasped.

"But...Spearow! How could he have been defeated so easily?" Kirari laughed.

"Maybe instead of waiting for people to come battle you here, you should go find opponents to train against." With a triumphant smile, she gave Yami a Potion and marched onwards, to find the second Trainer simply sitting.

"What are you doing?" Kirari asked the Trainer.

He responded, "Some girl came through here earlier and my Pokemon are wiped out. I'm not up for a battle." Kirari shrugged, and in a couple of minutes, she had finally traversed the large Gym and arrived face-to-face with a young man dressed in blue colors. He was indeed handsome, and Kirari's heart sped up a little. This didn't change the fact that he was too old for her- the thirteen-year-old so dearly wished to be about his age, late teens to early twenties.

"Well, well, another challenger!" the Gym Leader exclaimed. "I'm Falkner. And you are?"

"Kir...Kirari," Kirari managed to get out. Falkner looked at Sparkle and his smile turned upside down.

"Ugh, an electric type. Everyone always says they're so much better than Flying types! Well, I'll disprove that. Come out, Pidgey!" Before Kirari could even blink, a Pidgey was staring her down.

"U-uhm, okay, then...let's show 'em, Yami?" Kirari asked nervously. Yami hopped off his Trainer's shoulder and glared at the opposing bird Pokemon.

"Now, Pidgey, Gust!" Yami didn't even have the chance to dodge, and was slammed with a burst of air.

"Yami, get up and use Tail Whip!" A successful Tail Whip was released from Yami, causing Falkner to smirk.

"What kind of a move is that?" he asked. "What good is a move if it doesn't do any damage?" Kirari grinned at Falkner, who continued to smirk. She was going to pass on what Cream had taught her.

"Again, Gust!"

"Dodge and Tail Whip!" Yami dodged the oncoming Gust and Tail Whipped again. "Now, quickly, Tackle!"

Pidgey didn't even see it coming, and before Falkner knew it, Pidgey was unconscious. The blunette scowled and recalled his Pokemon. "That was a good strategy. But you can't stand up to my strongest Pokemon! Go, Pidgeotto!"

Kirari blinked in surprise at the new bird. It was colorful and much larger than Pidgey. Kirari pulled out her Pokedex and it said, "Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokemon. It flies over wide territory in search of prey, downing it with its highly developed claws." Kirari nodded.

"Return, Yami. Your turn, Sparkle!" Cheeks sparking, Sparkle jumped onto the battlefield.

"Okay, Quick Attack!" In a blink of an eye, Pidgeotto attacked Sparkle, not doing too much damage, and Sparkle jumped right back up.

"You too, Sparkle!" Sparkle returned Pidgeotto's Quick Attack with one of its own.

"Again!" Another Quick Attack from Pidgeotto was unleashed, this one hitting hard. Sparkle struggled to her feet.

"Alright, Charm, Sparkle!"

"Not so fast, Gust!" Before Sparkle could pull off Charm, Gust was unleashed. Despite doing less, Sparkle was almost finished.

In a fit of desperation, Kirari cried out, "Growl, Sparkle!"

Sparkle did nothing of the sort, instead she started rushing towards Pidgeotto. It looked like a move Sparkle could not learn, Tackle, until she was enveloped with electricity! Sparkle rammed herself into Pidgeotto and it flew through the air, landing on its back, unconscious.

Falkner stared at his fallen partner for a moment before sadly returning it. He was quiet for a second before saying, "That was Spark. As much as I hate to say it, Electric-types are going to be good against Flying no matter what I do." The blunette shook his head. "Two defeats in one day. Unbelievable."

Kirari was barely listening. "Great, Sparkle! You learned Spark!" The teen giggled. "Sparkle learned Spark!" The Trainer and Electric-type giggled while Yami rolled his eyes. "Oh, Yami, you too! Great job!" Yami immediately brightened up.

Falkner walked up to her. "You have a Gym Badge case?" Kirari shook her head. "Thought so." He gave Kirari a pink case, which matched her Pokedex and Pokegear. "Your Zephyr Badge for defeating me is already in there." Kirari opened the case to see a pale blue badge glittering up at her. "Good luck on your adventure, and all that."

Kirari nodded at the Gym Leader. "Thank you." With a bow of respect, she dashed out of the Gym, and shrieked in delight when she got outside. Then she grabbed her two Pokemon and squeezed them half to death, getting an electric shock from Sparkle and a Sand-attack in the face from Yami. The Trainer reluctantly set her Pokemon down.

"Great job, today!" Her two Pokemon cheered. "Tomorrow we set off again. Tonight, we'll have a celebratory feast. Onward!" More cheers, and a triumphant march to a restaurant in town.

After a delicious feast, Sparkle and Yami surprisingly looked all set and instead of healing for the night, they slept at the foot of Kirari's bed. All were sleeping soundly when there was the sound of crashing glass, and the wail of a siren.

"What's going on?" Kirari cried out over the noise.

Sparkle replied, "I don't know! Let's go check it out!" The trio headed to the lobby, and was shocked to find the place crawling with black-covered people with giant red R's on their shirts. Every part of them were covered aside from the eyes, and they were stealing all the Pokemon, whether in balls or not. Trainers were everywhere, pleading for their Pokemon back. Kirari felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to be punched in the head. The blow was making the world go black, but as she turned around, she saw her two Pokemon in a net with a criminal with evil red eyes. As she was about to pass out, a young man about her age, whose face she could not make out through the haze, caught her arm.

But even getting helped up was no assistance. Kirari passed out, hoping her helper could save her Pokemon.


	6. Total Letdowns, And More Invasions

**A/N: I'm not dead, hooray! Anyway, after Kirari passes out AGAIN, we find out here that she's actually a frail little thing, so she has a good excuse. And most of the time, at least for now, chapters will end after Kirari goes to bed for the night. Be warned, I've never really written a chapter with this "atmosphere" before, so please, criticism is appreciated!**

"Unbelievable..." Kirari muttered as she regained her conciousness. "I faint when meeting Professor Oak, and now this..." The sun was streaming through the window, and she was back in her room- she must have been out all night. As her vision cleared, the young Trainer was surprised to find a handsome boy about her age hovering above her with a worried look on his face. His expression became more relaxed as Kirari sat up straight.

"Thank Arceus you're okay," the boy said with a grin. He had shaggy brown hair that covered one eye, the other eye being a rich emerald green. He also wore a brown leather jacket over a basketball jersey, and a dog tag dangled from his neck. Most notable was his build- he wasn't crazy muscular, but definitely enough muscle to make girls swoon. Speaking of swooning...

"H-hi." Kirari once again was barely able to squeak when met with a stranger, but this time her face was tinted pink and her heart raced. She had met other cute boys in the past, but he seemed kind of perfect. Kirari ticked off the things she could tell by looking at him- handsome, played sports, muscular (unlike her and her family, prone to being frail)...

"And so your Pokemon are all waiting with the Nurse to be healed." Wait, what? Kirari hadn't exactly been paying attention to what he was saying.

"Y-yeah, thanks, uh...?"

The boy smiled. "The name's Jet. You?"

"Ki-kirari. A couple of friends c-call me Ki-kira." Kirari managed a shaky smile back.

"Cool. Hey, you get all ready, and maybe we can talk more in the lobby, kay?" Jet strolled out of the room and down the hall, Kirari watching him go. When he was gone, she sighed dreamily and flopped back on the pillow. If he was a nice guy, as he seemed to be, Kirari would be headed from harboring a hopeless crush to hopelessly in love.

After dressing, Kirari picked up her Pokemon at the front desk and glanced around nervously. Spotting Jet looking out the window near the far side of the room, Kirari quickly released Sparkle and confessed her crush to the Electric-type, who ate up the information like she needed it to survive. Sparkle was definitely more the teenage girl than Kirari- gossip-hungry, speed talking, and hyperactivity made her absolutely stereotypical.

"Oh Arceus, you're totally right! He is a hottie!" Sparkle stage-whispered excitedly. A couple of heads turned, but not Jet's. Kirari lightly flicked her Pokemon.

"Sor-RY," Sparkle muttered. "Now go talk to him!"

The "love-struck" teen took a deep breath and then marched up to Jet. He looked up with a start and grinned at Kirari, who almost melted as she sat down across from him. "Hi, Jet."

"Hey there, 'Kira'." Kirari giggled girlishly. "That's a nice outfit. You look good." The giggles grew louder, accompanied by a warm blush across Kirari's face. "So listen, you're lucky I was there last night, because almost everyone else's Pokemon were stolen."

"Oh, really?" Giggling continued.

"Yup. I'm one of the strongest kids at my school, and my Pokemon are nothing to scoff at because I trained them."

Kirari's giggles died down. "Er, that's nice. My Pokemon are strong too. But it's all their own work. My training helped, but they're really good because they're awesome on their own."

Jet shrugged. "My Pokemon were all wimps, but now they're strong because of me, and only me. It helps that with my buffness, I can even train alongside them. The frail can't do that." Jet made no secret of looking Kirari up and down, frowning. Kirari frowned as well.

"What's up with you? You keep talking about how strong you are and you're practically calling me out for being frail."

"I just can't help it if I'm better than everyone else." Jet frowned, seeming a bit uncomfortable, but then quickly regained his composure. "So what do you say if we-" The boy suddenly stopped speaking as Kirari stood up and quickly gathered her things. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Kirari whirled around. Any notions of lovesickness were gone, replaced with disgust. "What's wrong? I've barely known you and I can already tell you're a stuck-up jerk! Who'd want to hang out with you?" With that, she quickly made her exit.

"Some people are so dramatic," Jet said, shaking his head as he watched Kirari storm away. But as she left the door, he sighed and stared at the ceiling. "Nii-san…are you sure you know what you're talking about?"

Kirari kicked at the ground as she walked, not looking up. Sparkle remained silent from her perch on Kirari's shoulder, worried for her. "She had been smitten and let down," the electric squirrel said under her breath. "Better sooner than later, though I feel bad for her."

"Did you say something?" Kirari whispered. Sparkle frowned. At this point Kirari was being completely overdramatic.

Sparkle replied, "Yeah, I did, but now I'm saying that you need to get over yourself. You barely knew the guy."

Kirari nodded slightly, and still whispering replied, "You're right."

"You say that, but something's bothering you still."

"N-no." Kirari stopped walking, her gaze still trained on the ground.

"Kirari."

"I'm just a bit...off." Kirari sat down on a nearby bench. Sparkle jumped next to her and hugged her Trainer.

"You think you're getting sick?"

"I hope not."

"Just try not to think about it. Come on, let's go get you an ice cream."

The two headed off to the ice cream parlor, and after releasing Yami the two Pokemon worked hard at cheering Kirari up. It wasn't doing that great of a job, and Sparkle was worried that Kirari really was sick. After all, the teen lover of ice cream took only one tiny bite.

Suddenly there was an explosion from behind the counter. All the customers gasped and stood up, seeing none other than the black-clad villians who had raided the Pokemon Center that other night!

One villain stepped out from amongst the others. Those evil red eyes...the criminal was the one who had attempted to steal Sparkle and Yami! Kirari whispered to Sparkle to prepare for battle.

"We are Team Rocket!" the thief announced. "Surrender your Pokemon now or face the consequences!" No sooner than the Team Rocket member had finished their speech, chaos broke out. Some younger kids or teen girls started screeching, some tried to get away, and others prepared to battle them off. Kirari was a battler. And sure enough, she was facing off with the apparent leader.

"Let's...let's show em, Sparkle," Kirari said without much enthusiasm, protecting Yami by returning him. Sparkle jumped off the table and growled.

"Gengar, whipping time." The thief hurled a Pokeball out, and a large Pokemon appeared. It was purple, but its blood red, evil eyes matched that of its owner. Kirari shuddered just looking at it. This would be no easy match.

"Alright, Sparkle, uh... Quick Attack?" Sparkle nodded and unleashed a speedy Quick Attack, but Gengar was unaffected. The thief snickered.

"Normal-type moves don't affect Ghost-types." This surprised Kirari. Ghost-type? That's what this thing was? That was a pretty good explanation for the creepy appearance of this Pokemon. The thief continued, "Now, Gengar, Hypnosis!" A beam of pink shot out and put Sparkle to sleep.

Kirari fumbled around in her bag as she searched for an Awakening, but it was futile. Gengar used a couple of Shadow Balls and easily knocked out Sparkle. Kirari hung her head as she returned Sparkle and whispered to the ball, "I'm sorry." Then she extracted Yami's ball and released him. "Let's show em, Yami..." Kirari felt more and more pathetic as she released Yami, and the possibility of illness was getting greater. Yami could obviously sense his Trainer's weakness, and was discouraged as well.

The thief smirked. "Gengar, again, Hypnosis." Yami dodged, thankfully.

Kirari started, "Alright then Yami...use-"

"Again, Gengar," the thief exclaimed, cutting Kirari off. Kirari grimaced- you had to allow some time for the opponent to make a move, though apparently thieves don't play fair. This time, Hypnosis hit, and Kirari watched as Yami's health was painfully drained with Nightmare and Dream Eater. She recalled Yami and looked nervously into the thief's eyes.

"I won. Hand over the Pokemon," the thief said, smirking.

Kirari shook her head. "N-no."

"No?" The thief crossed her arms and smirked again, slowly walking towards Kirari. At the same time, Kirari slowly backed away. The thief said, "Give them. Now."

"No!" exclaimed Kirari, and she dashed out the door. She kept running, running, all the way to Route 32. Her legs felt numb, but she wouldn't give her Pokemon up, ever. Footsteps sounded behind her- the thief was coming close. Kirari dashed into a nearby forest. Rain started to pour. Her breathing was heavy. Her knees were weak. But she kept running, running. When she could not go on, she nearly collapsed against a tree.

But for once, Kirari's frailness didn't eat her into unconsciousness. Though her vision was blurry and Kirari though she was gonna throw up, she had to sit there and endure the pain. Luckily, she had lost the thief. As Kirari sat there, soaking wet, she started to cough. And cough and cough. She was getting sick.

And it wouldn't end. Her lungs burned, but she couldn't stop the coughing. She was shivering, and felt weak. Why, of all times, wouldn't her body let her pass out? The pain was nearly unbearable. And then, she saw yellow. What?

And a paw. Down her face, soothing her. Opening her mouth and putting some bitter food in it. It made her feel good. Good enough to sleep finally sleep, even in the rain.

As Kirari laid down her head, she felt warm, even in the rain. It was an odd sensation. Her vision blurred even more, and the yellow blob started to speak. It was a feminine voice, though young. Was it a Pokemon?

All it said was: "Trust me- you'll feel better in the morning."

**A/N: Again, please review! :)**


	7. Friendly Hermit, Heated Battle

A/N: Yay, more chapterizationalism! (Note: that is totally a real word.) Sorry I was gone for so long, on vacation. Also, the whole vessel thing might seem similar to Rocket Academy by RosieShiba, but it's different in the fact that the legendaries are not using the humans for a purpose, but rather helping them in their individual lives. (It's an awesome story, by the way! Go read it!)

"No, no…Daddy…" Kirari mumbled. Her eyes suddenly shot open, though everything was still blurry. Taking deep breaths, she whispered, "Just a dream…it was a dream."

"Are you alright?" came a voice from above Kirari. Her vision came into focus and she looked up to see a Pikachu perched on a thick branch. It was a bit strange-looking, though-the tips of its ears were the color of its bright red cheeks instead of the typical black. It easily leaped off the branch and landed square on Kirari's lap, who was sitting against the tree trunk.

Kirari nodded slowly. "Yeah…I just had a bad dream. And you are…?"

The Pikachu grinned. "You can call me Kata. I saved you back there with my super medicine blend."

Kirari brightened. "That was you? Thanks!"

"It wasn't a problem. I like humans. But I don't like Pokemon." Kata frowned.

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, I like humans because they made me smart. Pokemon tease me for that exact reason, though."

Kirari tilted her head slightly. "They made you smart? So, you were an experiment or something?"

"That's exactly right," Kata responded with a grin. "It turned my ear tips red, for no reason. But everyone thought I acted full of myself with my intelligence, but I just was trying to help." Kirari started to respond, but Kata continued, "You need to rest here until you get better. Two days at the most. What did you say your name was?"

Kirari giggled. "I'm Kirari. My Pokemon call me Kira."

Kata frowned. "You have Pokemon? I just said I don't like Pokemon."

"Don't worry. I'll keep them in their Poke Balls for now."

"Alright. Now, would you like some berries?"

FEFS

The next couple of days passed in relative peace. Kata would seemingly disappear every time Kirari brought out Sparkle or Yami, however. Kirari told Kata all about Entei, Moltres, and what she did as a Trainer. She also described Jet, Team Rocket, and that mean girl, Cream. Kata seemed to be especially interested in battling, with that spark of competition. It seemed that Kirari's full recovery came all too soon.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to come with me? Not all Pokemon are bullies, you know," Kirari said for about the fifth time that day.

Again, Kata gave the same answer. "I would need to think about it for a very long time."

"Well, then…perhaps we'll meet again someday." Kirari gave her new friend a warm smile and started to pick her way out of the forest. Kata stared wistfully until the Trainer was no longer in sight. In truth, Kata knew that she didn't want to stay in the forest. The genetic alteration given her by those scientists gave her a lust, a lust to expand her abilities and show the world what she could do. She knew that she and her abilities would be of great help to Kirari on her adventure, if she could muster up the courage. Maybe…maybe the girl had been right. She would have competition, but not fighting off bullies, but being pit against those who did it in recreation and achievement. They would not discriminate against her, so the girl had said.

Kata thwapped her tail against the tree behind her and an apple fell right into her hand. The Electric-type couldn't help but grin- not many people knew her way around the forest like she did, able to know just how the tree must be hit. Perhaps she was a little TOO familiar with the forest. But could she get courage? Doubting herself, the little mouse sadly leaned back against the tree trunk.

FEFS

Kirari had to shield her eyes from the sun as she stepped out of the dense forest. It hadn't been really dark in there, but this was full-on bright.

"Route 32…it feels good to be back on the road again!" Kirari exclaimed, and giggled. The teen released Yami. "Are you ready for some training, buddy?"

Yami nodded and grinned with determination. "Let's get going."

Kirari looked around and spotted a Trainer. "Hey, you!" she called out. A young girl a bit away, about 11 years old, looked around and then laid eyes on Kirari.

"Are you talking to me?" the girl called back.

Kirari grinned and nodded as she walked up to the girl. "Yup, I wanted to ask for a battle," she said.

"Oh, cool! Yeah!"

FEFS

Two minutes later, the girl and Kirari stood across from each other on a little stretch of grass. The girl's father, who had been picnicking with her, was the referee. "Each combatant will use two Pokemon! When one side's Pokemon are completely knocked out, the match is over. You may switch freely."

Now that the rules had been explained, the girl called out, "Go, Nida!" In a flash of light a female Nidoran appeared.

"Let's show 'em, Yami!" The rabbit-eared Pokemon jumped into the arena and growled at his opponent.

"Begin!"

"Scratch, Nida!"

"Dodge and use Sand Attack, Yami!"

Yami was barely nicked by Scratch as he almost dodged, and threw a ton of sand into Nida's face, causing her to cough and tear up.

"Now's your chance! Use Tackle!" Complying, Yami landed a good shot on the Nidoran, throwing it back. Suddenly Yami looked a bit…purple? He slowed down and started to cough.

"Ha! That's right; Nida's Poison Point poisoned your Eevee!" Kirari gasped.

"Hang in there, Yami!"

Nida had struggled to her feet at this point and the two struggling Pokemon had a stare down. Finally, the two Trainers called a move at the same time.

"Double Kick, Nida!"

"Use Tackle, Yami!" The two attacks clashed in midair, causing a ton of dust clouds to erupt and the three humans had to turn their heads away. As the smoke cleared, it was clear that…

"Nida is unable to battle! Yami wins!" As the girl sadly recalled her Pokemon, there was no time for celebration as Yami took more damage from the poison, coughing.

"All right…go, Nido!" As Kirari expected, since the name called was Nido, it was a male Nidoran next on the battlefield.

Kirari clenched her fists, a drop of sweat on her face as she watched her Pokemon suffer. "Alright, Yami, use- no, Yami!" Yami had collapsed from the poison.

"Yami is unable to battle! Nido wins, I suppose."

Kirari recalled Yami and told his Poke ball, "It's okay. Sparkle will finish the great job you started." With that, she exclaimed, "Let's show 'em, Sparkle!" and the Pachirisu appeared in a bright flash of light.

"Begin!"

"Nido! Use Peck!"

"Bide, Sparkle!" Peck hit head-on, but Sparkle just continued to store energy. The opponent, not knowing what Bide did, thought it was something stupid and smirked at her opening.

"Again, Peck!" Once again Peck hit, and Sparkle continued to store energy.

"Finish it off with Double Kick!" Just as Nido neared Sparkle, she released her energy, and through the blinding light it was impossible to tell who had hit their opponent first, thus winning the match. Slowly, the dust cleared…

…and both Pokemon were unconscious! The two recalled their Pokemon as the announcer exclaimed, "Both are unable to battle, thus the battle is a tie!"

Kirari shook hands with her opponent. "That was a great match," she said happily.

"You were a great opponent! My name's Lizzie, and yours?"

"Kirari. Call me Kira."

"Well then, Kira, would you like to join our picnic?"

Before Kirari could respond, her stomach did for her, growling loudly. The two laughed and had a hearty picnic.

FEFS

"Thanks so much. I am positively full!" Kirari exclaimed. The Trainer was about to part ways with her new friend and her father, who lived in Violet City.

The father laughed. "You're welcome. I made it myself."

"Well, you're a great cook. See you around, Lizzie," Kirari told her friend.

"Come to visit sometime! Bye!"

"Bye!"

Parting ways with Lizzie, Kirari took about an hour heading down Route 32 and running away from any wild Pokemon, since she couldn't make her hurt Pokemon battle. Finally, at dusk, she reached Azalea Town, and deposited her Pokemon at the center straightaway. Kirari went up to her room and laid down on the bed, almost falling asleep before she heard a knock at the window…

"Well, look who decided to show up," she said to figure at the window.


	8. Electric Mouse! Battles in the Moonlight

"So, I'm assuming you've changed your mind?"

"No, I'm here to give you cookies. Duh! I've decided I want to join you!" The Pikachu with the bright red ear tips hopped into the room, leaving Kirari to close the window.

Kirari couldn't help but ask, "What made you change your mind?"

Kata flopped back on the pink comforter and gazed around the basic white and pink room. She closed her eyes contentedly. "I want to see the world. The world isn't that little forest. I want to meet Pokemon who are civil and don't discriminate. I want to get away from the bullies. But most of all, I wanted to make sure I traveled with a good, caring Trainer." The mouse took a deep breath after that long speech. Kirari was absolutely touched.

"You really think that highly of me?" she asked.

Kata smiled. "Yes, I do. Some abuse their Pokemon and treat them harshly. Others baby them as though they are mere toys. Even others think that Pokemon have no feelings and can be pawned off like items. I can tell that you train your Pokemon hard and love them, even if you are just beginning. I watched you. Sparkle and Yami both seem to think of you as a big sister in addition to a Trainer."

A moment passed in silence as the teen digested this information. "You…how could you tell all this in two short days?"

"You just have this aura, this display. I can practically taste it," the mouse responded immediately, as if it were second nature to her.

"Huh, really? I think in Unova they have a term for someone like that…Pokemon Connoisseur, I think. Though obviously it's always been humans, since Pokemon rarely can communicate with their Trainers."

"Hmm, I guess so. But that's not even interesting to me. I want to travel, battle, and become smarter. Can I…join you?"

"Sure, just let me…"

"Wait." Kata twiddled her stubby fingers nervously.

"What?"

"I've seen captures happen from inside the forest…I'd like to have a battle for you to capture me," the electric-type said slyly. Kirari squealed.

"Yes, that'd be perfect! I've only been given my Pokemon so far, so this is my first time_ really_ catching a Pokemon. Let's go!"

Soon, the human and Pokemon were in front of the Pokemon Center, preparing for battle as dusk fell. Sparkle, enthusiastic about being overly dramatic, insisted that Kata pop out of nowhere and attack, and Kirari "heroically capture her". A crowd had quickly gathered when the electric type appeared, growling at Kirari.

"Okay, let's show 'em, Yami!" The Eevee popped out of the ball, admiring the moon above for a second before turning to Kata and growling.

Kata went from determined to scared so quickly that she almost passed out. Knowing that none of the humans but Kirari could understand them, Yami called out, "Kata, don't worry! It's a friendly battle! Get used to me so you can fight real battles!"

"He's yelling a battle cry!" someone in the crowd called out.

Kirari rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "Yami! Sand Attack!" Yami complied and shot dust into Kata's face. The mouse coughed but then showed determination once again, unleashed a surprisingly powerful Quick Attack. Yami was knocked back.

"Get up, Yami! Use Tackle!" Yami rushed at Kata but was knocked back by Thundershock. He laid there.

"C'mon, Yami! Don't give up! I believe in you!" Kirari shouted. The still figure began to quiver and struggle.

"Yami! I know you can do it! You're a super strong Eevee and you can win!"

With a sudden burst of power, Yami called out in a fierce voice and shot up to his feet. Then he started to glow a beautiful blue color. "What's going on?" his Trainer exclaimed worriedly.

"It's evolving!" a member of the crowd said. Those gathered, including Kata and Kirari, gasped and peered more closely for a better view. Blue and green lights began to swirl around the Pokemon, and he glittered and shined. Then a burst of light blinded the bystanders, but only for a second.

When Kirari could see again, she no longer saw a small, tan Pokemon. In its place was a dark Pokemon, about three feet high. It was black in color and covered with glowing yellow circles. Its eyes were red, and it had about the same body shape as its previous evolution.

"Umbreon…" Kirari breathed. She took out her Pokedex and held it up.

"Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokemon, and an evolved form of Eevee. The rings of Umbreon's body glow faintly when exposed to the moon's aura, and it gains a mysterious power."

"Wow, cool, Yami! You evolved into Umbreon!" Kirari exclaimed. "I knew you could do it! Now let's get cracking!"

Kata now put her hands on her hips, grinning at the Trainer and Pokemon duo. "You may have evolved, but I'll still be hard to beat!" she announced. And thus it began.

**A/N: Sorry for short chapter, but I have lots of stuff to do now! School (arrgghhh), "The Legend of Gensokyo" (a collaboration with garrettthomas1502 about Touhou! Go check it out on his profile!), and Full Moon (an original fiction). Not to mention, y'know, I'm very religious, so that takes up time too. But enjoy!**


	9. Got the Pokemon and the Guy

**A/N: LOOK EVERYONE! I'M NOT DEAD AFTER ALL!**

**Big shocker, I know. I'm sorry about lack of updates; life has just gotten really tough for me. But good news! I tried out for the school musical and I might get a big role! So yay me. Anyways, so sorry if this chapter is boring or not written well, but I had to work hard to get it to at least this length. Also, even if this is an original story, I think I had better start doing a disclaimer!**

***mysterious shadow*: Hello everyone, I'm a character you haven't met yet and I'm here to-**

**Kata: *is not in a shadow, and hits the shadow over the head* Sorry about that. Maddiepink5 doesn't own Pokemon, but she does own most of the characters and individual Pokemon in this story.**

Kirari smirked at Kata's pride. The little mouse was really getting into the battle. The teen called out, "Yami will be unstoppable! All right, Yami, let's use Tackle!"

The one disadvantage Kirari had to Kata was that she didn't have a Trainer- while her judgment would be poor since she was the one battling, she wouldn't be able to recognize the mouse's moves at first, nor did a called-out command give her an idea. As Yami closed in, Kata blasted him with Thundershock. He took the brunt of the attack but managed to stay on his feet.

"Again, Yami!" This time, Yami charged more quickly and slammed his body into Kata's, knocking her down, but up she came.

Kata responded by blasting him with Quick Attack, which hit well at the close range. The two exchanged a couple more physical slams, and there was little time left.

"This is difficult…they're evenly matched," Kirari murmured to herself. Then she remembered that Pokémon might learn new moves upon evolving. Sure enough, her Pokedex informed her that Yami had shed Helping Hand for a dark move called Pursuit- while it would not do as much as Tackle, it would still get same-type attack bonus and was his only special move… wait, what? What was same-type attack bonus? Kirari stared at the Pokedex screen in wonder, but Yami's pained cry brought her back to the present.

"Oh Yami!" Kirari cried out. He was badly hurt. So was Kata, but she remained on her feet. "Yami! I believe in you! Get up and use Pursuit! Come on buddy!" Slowly, Yami rose to his feet. His ears twitched, making a circle, and a circle of dark energy slammed into Kata. She was not unconscious, but was clearly having trouble getting back up.

"Okay, now's my chance! Go, Poke Ball!" The Poke Ball flew through the air. The whole crowd, including Kirari and Yami, held their breath as Kata was drawn into it. One twitch…two twitches…three. Little sparks flew off the ball, and a "snap" sound was heard. Kata was caught!

After a moment of silence, the crowd roared in a cheer. Strangers she didn't know came around to pat Kirari on the back as she picked up the Poke Ball with Kata inside. Finally, the crowd dissipated, leaving Kirari alone…or so she thought, when someone else gently put their hand on her back. The teen whirled around, only to be face to face with Jet!

The surprise was short-lived. Kirari's shock quickly twisted into disgust. "Listen, I'm in a good mood. I don't need a conceited jerk coming around and telling me how much better he could do," she said, folding her arms.

Kirari once again shifted, back from disgust to shock again, when Jet replied sadly, "Kira, I'm really sorry for the way I acted. I was just really eager to get to know you, you see… and my brother, he told me that most girls like guys who are big and airheaded… he said that only smart and goodhearted girls would see through the front. That's how I know you are those things, and I really, really want to start over."

Kirari paused doubtfully. "That seemed sincere but…if I forgive you are you just going to act all snobby again? Jet sweat dropped and rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"I'll admit it, I do have problems with my attitude, but I _will _try my hardest to clean up my act. So?" Jet, the big tough guy, had dropped his front and Kirari could see the real Jet underneath those hopeful emerald eyes- wanting to be accepted, trying to act big so people wouldn't look down on him. Kirari then nodded and grinned.

"That sounds fine to me. But, if you don't mind, I just caught a new friend and would like to train for a bit."

Jet grinned back excitedly. "That's fine. It's totally okay. Would you, uh, like to meet me at LeAnn's for dinner? It's really fancy. I'll um, treat you."

Kirari blushed and nodded. Kirari turned to Route 32 to head back for more training, and Jet headed towards the Pokémon Center. When their backs were facing each other, they whispered to themselves, "Yes!"

* * *

Kirari tossed out Sparkle and Yami, and then looked down happily on Yami. "Yami, thanks so much for your help back there! I couldn't have down it without you. You rocked!"

Yami nodded. "It's all thanks to you being a good Trainer," the Umbreon replied, his voice deeper now. "I would have never evolved into my preferred form without YOUR help. So thank you, Kira."

Kirari and Sparkle both "oohed" at the new and improved Yami. The Pachirisu marveled, "Wow, Yami, it's like you got older overnight. You're so cool and mature! Hee hee!" Sparkle continued to fuss over Yami while the Umbreon, instead of being embarrassed or annoyed, just stop there listening, nodding and saying "thank you" every so often. Kirari watched with appreciation- Sparkle was right, he had matured in an instant, it seemed. Then she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Well, you guys have never really met Kata formally before, so are you ready?" Kirari asked cheerfully. The two perked up and nodded their assent. Kirari grinned and threw Kata's ball into the air, crying, "Kata, come on out!"

In a flash, the yellow mouse Pokemon made her appearance. She drew in a shaky breath when she saw Yami and Sparkle, then exhaled slowly as the two grinned comfortingly at her.

Sparkle spoke up first, naturally. "We know you're nervous, but like, you should totally like us! And Yami here is awesome too~ It's nice to meet you, I'm Sparkle."

Yami nodded. "And I'm Yami. You were a great opponent."

Kata nodded nervously, then looked to Kirari, who gave her thumbs-up. Kata nodded again, turned to the other two, and stuttered, "Um, thanks. You, uh, know that I'm Kata…and uh, you were really good too, Yami. It's nice to meet you…! Eeek!" The Pikachu shook her head and cowered, expecting to be teased, but it never happened. She slowly looked up and broke into a grin.

Kirari was also pleased. "You guys seem to get along great. Well then, let's put that to use in some training!" The trio cheered in agreement and prepared for some hardcore training.

* * *

"Oh, Sparkle! Stop getting distracted!" Kirari cried out as her hand hit her forehead.

The Pachirisu seemed to have a knack for attempting to be flashy, and then getting the fudge knocked out of her by her training opponent. In this case, it was Kata launching a well-placed Quick Attack to the squirrel's face. The world swirled for the defeated Sparkle, who just barely stumbled to her feet.

As for Kirari, she had also gotten seriously into the training, working up a sweat. Her now shiny-with-sweat deep-black hair had been slicked into a ponytail about half an hour ago, and she had tied her dark gray jacket around her waist, revealing the red shirt underneath. Even with all this her face was red with exertion, and she slumped under a tree to rest a bit, her Pokemon quickly following suit. By now it was very dark out.

Yami panted- Kirari had ordered him to sharpen up Pursuit while Kata and Sparkle sparred- then asked, "Kira, you alright? You really shouldn't push yourself too hard."

After another moment filled with everyone catching their breath, Kirari responded, "I'm fine. Just need a bit of a break…"

The sound of breathing filled the next few minutes, until Kirari noticed Kata staring at her. Kirari stared back for a second, then asked, "What, do I have something on my face?"

Kata blinked then shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, it's just…that shirt….isn't it a bit…provocative?"

Kirari glanced down at the shirt she was wearing- a bright red that bared so much of her stomach that it was close to being a bra. The teen chuckled. "Well, I suppose…but it's not like I've got much to show..." she glanced irritably down at her nearly-flat chest before continuing, "It's not like I'd ever take it off in public. But it's okay for the situation."

Sparkle chose this moment to jump up, having seemingly regained her strength. "In public? Fine. But I think there's a certain BOY you would wear that shirt in front of…!" The Pachirisu broke into hysterics while Kirari flushed a deep red.

"S-shut up!" the flushed teen yelled in embarrassment. Quieting down, she continued, "I barely know Jet. All I know is that he is a big tough guy making an effort, so I decided I'm gonna make an effort too."

Kata stood up next to her. "Well said and all, but, hurry up and put that jacket on because here he comes!" Kirari shrieked a bit, hurriedly zipped up her jacket. After a few seconds, nothing happened, and her Pokemon collapsed into hysterics, even Yami chuckling some. Kirari simply shrugged now, though her face turned beet red once again.

After a bit more joking and fooling around, Kirari recalled all her Pokemon excepting Kata, wanting to become more acquainted with the mouse. It was straight to a room at the Pokemon Center, only to find that Kirari had to wear either her formal clothes (to be used for what her neighbor had called "contests" if she wanted, whatever those were) or her regular clothes. The formal outfit really lived up to its name, however- it was a pink-and-white number designed to resemble a princess's outfit. Not exactly right for eating out…

This brought Kirari to pacing around the room, debating her few choices, as Kata looked at the clothes layed out.

"Darn, darn, darn…" the teen mumbled. "One outfit's not formal enough; the other is too formal…why did I bring all these accessories? Gyah!" Kirari collapsed on the bed as Kata went through the accessories and pulled out an oversized red bow. Kirari eyed her as she poked at it. "You like it? Take it…"

Kata glanced over, and then grinned. "Actually… I was thinking, with all these accessories, you could distribute them amongst us, sell the remaining ones and then have enough room in you bag to carry a nice, simple dress maybe. While we're at it we could trade in that shirt for a new one." She smirked at the last comment.

Kirari, instead of being embarrassed, was staring at Kata with wide eyes. "You really are a smart Pokemon!" she exclaimed. "That's the perfect solution! Alright, come on out y'all!" In a flash of light Sparkle and Yami appeared.

Chaos ensued as Sparkle tried on many different accessories (most of them being Kirari's favorite kind of accessory, bows) and forced Yami to try any ranging from the sparkly tiara to funky sunglasses. Kata laughed hysterically the entire time while Kirari sweatdropped as she realized the unnecessary amount of accessories she had brought. In the end, Sparkle settled for a pair of big, square black geek-chic glasses and Yami wore a moon pendant around his neck. Kirari was about to head out to sell and buy before she stopped short.

"What is it?" Sparkle asked from her shoulder; she had been brought along for her sense of fashion, or at least more so than Kirari had. For the fifth time in a few minutes she proudly pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her button nose. Kirari rolled her eyes at this action.

Then Kirari sweatdropped as she remembered, "I need money. I've been spending most of it on supplies. How will I contact Dad?"

Sparkle chirped. "Well, when I was on an adventure with your mom, she used videophones. You can ask Nurse Joy to use them."

Then there was a long silence. Kirari glanced at Sparkle, and looked a bit curious. "You…went on an adventure with my mother?"

Sparkle blinked then nodded slowly. "Uh-huh…I was just a baby, so she entered me in Contests, which weren't so rough. What, did you think I was just some silly ol' pet?" Sparkle giggled.

Kirari blushed then nodded a bit before saying, "So that's why you were still a good level for a starter Pokemon." Sparkle nodded. "Ah…that's so nice. I wish I knew what my mother was like…she died when I was still young."

Another silence occurred before Sparkle meekly suggested, "…After your date, I could tell you 'bout her. She was really cool."

Kirari nodded and headed towards the front desk to ask for a videophone. "Yeah, I would like that a lot."


	10. Secret the Date Holds

Kirari hummed to herself. She couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around all that had happened that day. Certainly, the most important parts were capturing Kata and meeting a more genuine Jet. As she handed over useless accessories to be sold, Kirari also acknowledged that she had been glad to see her father's face, even if she was asking for money. Yes, he was pale and sickly, but he treated her with a special kind of warmth, leaving Kirari knowing that she always had someone to rely on when things got tough. It also gave her a special burst of inspiration to work extra hard for him.

Kirari consulted Sparkle on her shoulder. "So. We need a semi-formal outfit, right? What should I get?"

Sparkle looked ecstatic to be helping in her specialty area. "Well, gosh! I think you totally should get a skirt or a dress, but not longer than knee length. Oh, but not a pencil skirt, those are too dressy…and you like bows, maybe something with that? Oh, boy!"

The two discussed various styles, but by the time they got to the clothing store, Kirari admitted, "I'm sorry, Sparkle. I have no idea what we just talked about. Clothing is not my specialty." There was definite embarrassment in Kirari's voice, but Sparkle waved her paw as they walked in.

"Don't ya worry, Kira, I'll find the very best outfit! You just wait!" With that, the squirrel jumped off Kirari's shoulder and started to wander through the aisles. Kirari waited by the door a bit awkwardly, getting strange looks from those who walked in. Finally, Sparkle popped up again and dragged Kirari to a dressing room, where an outfit awaited Kirari- an adorable outfit at that.

"Oh, Sparkle! Wow! This is so awesome! Just right!" Sparkle giggled with delight and scurried out of the room, anticipating what the teen would look like in the outfit. And it was truly a gorgeous sight when she stepped out.

"Oh, Kira! You look so pretty, wow, wow, wow!" The Pachirisu whirled around her Trainer (and her geek-chic glasses almost fell off several times) while Kirari admired herself in the mirror. A navy blue dress adorned Kirari, with puff sleeves and ruffles from the collar to the waist, where it was tied with a large sash. Finally, the dress flared out to exactly knee length. Kirari's stark black hair and bangs were adorned with a navy blue headband with, of course, a large blue bow attached. Sparkle had even picked out black flats that matched Kirari's hair. Sparkle continued to blabber as Kirari posed in front of the mirror. "I mean, like, I totally picked out just the right outfit for you! But I didn't think you would look so awesome! I'm sooo happy!" Finally the hyper little thing jumped up onto her Trainer's shoulder.

Kirari, meanwhile, couldn't stop smiling. "Sparkle, you picked a great outfit. Thanks so much, you did such a great job." The Pachirisu beamed with pleasure. "I really think this outfit will be good for going out on the town, even. I mean like, if I'm taking a break or something, this could pass for a nice everyday outfit and a semi-formal outfit." Kirari's voice was still very enthusiastic, but in a calm way, serene and pleased. They picked up a longer, purple shirt to replace her red one (Kirari thanked her lucky stars Kata wasn't around to tease her) and soon were back at the Pokemon Center, changing into the outfit once again. This time, Kata and Yami were called out to see it.

Kata immediately grinned, fingering the large red bow tied around her ear, the same shade of red as the tips of her ears. "We match, Kira! And you look awesome. Your BOYFRIEND is going to love it." The Pikachu started laughing as Kirari blushed and hurriedly turned to Yami.

The Umbreon grinned at his Trainer. "I think you look very nice, Kira. It was the perfect choice." He nodded at Sparkle. "Good choice. You're good at this." Sparkle giggled gleefully at the praise.

There were a few more seconds before a bell chimed in the distance- eight chimes to be exact. The Pokemon turned to Kirari, whose eyes widened. "I'm way late! Oh, I hope he's still there!" She rushed out of the room, leaving her Pokemon to their own devices.

Azalea was a quiet, peaceful town at this time of night, and it seemed that there wouldn't be a restaurant as extravagant as the one Jet had described, but soon she turned a corner and spotted the fancy place. She was just about to head in when she saw someone in dark clothing standing under the streetlight. Wait, were they waving at her? Kirari rubbed her eyes and the shadow was gone. She wasn't sure if it had been her imagination or not, but Kirari just shrugged her shoulder and bounced happily into the restaurant.

The lighting was dimmed and a few groups of people sat at tables, classical music coming from somewhere. She spied Jet sitting at a table at the far end of the room, looking handsome in a button-down and slacks. His hair was even combed out of his eyes. Kirari giggled- he looked so different, and very uncomfortable in the formal clothing, looking around anxiously. Soon he too spotted Kirari, and grinned at her as she sat at the table.

"Wow, Kira…you look nice! Oh, uh, should I have pulled the chair out?" He looked nervous again, to which Kirari laughed.

"It's fine. You looked so absolutely comfortable, there was no need," she remarked, to which both of them laughed. He really had seemed so awkward, out of his element. Now, though, Jet relaxed considerably. They made small talk for awhile, then Jet remarked over the entrée, "You know, I've never really been close to any girls except you. Well, there was one, but she was my sister, anyway."

Kirari swallowed then grinned. "You have a sister? That's so cool. I have one, but she's kind of mean…"

Jet frowned then. "More like had a sister. She was kidnapped when she was six and I was five."

Kirari nearly choked on her spaghetti. "K-kidnapped? Are you sure?"

Jet nodded sadly. "I loved my sister," he said. "Sure, she was kind of rude, but… I had a lot of bullies when I was younger. She always scared them off, though. She was tougher than any of the boys on the playground." He smirked, thinking fondly of his sister.

Kirari smiled back at him. "I'm my sister's personal punching bag, so I would rather have your sister. Did she look like you?"

"Pfft, are you kidding?" Kirari's date laughed. "Her skin tone was much lighter. She was also sort of thin and a bit frail…oh, Arceus, did I offend you?"

"No, no, I understand. How was she so scary if she was so frail?"

"Well, she just kind of…was like that. She had a way of making people feel bad if she wanted to. But other than that, she had green hair and loved to wear pink. Nothing like me."

That was about when Kirari really did start to choke. A waiter rushed over and performed Heimlich's on her. Eventually the food in her throat popped onto the floor, and the color returned to her face.

Jet was by her side in a moment. "Kira! Are you okay?"

Kirari just glanced at him, and voiced the thought that had made her choke. "Your sister…what was her name?"

Jet responded with the name she was worried she would hear. "Cream. Her name was Cream."

* * *

A/N: I dislike how this chapter came out. I highly doubt the majority of my readers like the whole freaking spiel I gave on Kirari's outfit. But I digress. So...gasp! Important plot piece! A part of the plot I recently came up with, for that matter. And that's about it. Back to Platinum, I suppose. Please review!


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